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MguyXXV 
"X marks the spot"
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 Posted - 10/12/2013 : 07:19:56
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Sharknado is great. Period. Solid acting with the exception of Tara Reid (who make be medicated) and whomever that guy was who played Ian Ziering's son (ok, "Chuck Hittinger"). Except for those two, NO ONE let on that they knew, were aware, had a hint, or even gave a shit about the fact that the premise of this film made it a target for the snooty "I wouldn't pay to see it" crowd.
Ian Ziering is perfectly cast as the early-middle-aged Ian Ziering named Fin Sheperd who was a pro surfer and now owns a dive-ish beachcomber bar at the end of the Santa Monica Pier in very expensive Santa Monica, California if Ian Ziering had actually done those things instead of gone into acting but acts like a guy you look at and think he should have gone into acting but probably didn't for a reason. I know Ian Ziering gets a lot of criticism for acting like Ian Ziering a lot or always, but Ian Ziering is different; he's not like Keanu Reeves, who always acts like Keanu Reeves trying not to be "Bill" (or "Ted") -- hey, fuck you: Sean Penn had no difficulty transiting from Spicoli in "Ridgemont" to that badass in "Bad Boys" to Harvey Milk in that San Francisco movie, so don't tell me that Keanu just got cursed by the role! (Though I think Keanu Reeves would be perfect to reprise the role played by Robert DeNiro in a remake of "The Mission," if Hollywood ever gets around to remaking "The Mission," but with Keanu Reeves). Reeves is cursed by his speech pattern. Ian Ziering is not. Ian Ziering could probably sound French.- John Heard delivers an all-too-brief performance as the truly loveable, ironic, heroic comfort-bar-stool-wielding barfly George in a way that defines the definition of defining "character actor." You see his face and you think "I've seen him in everything, but I couldn't name a single movie to win a bet." He grows on you. He grew on me.
- In the role of "Nova Clarke," Cassie Scerbo plays Amanda Bynes probably a day before the cusp of the week before she went crazy, and who is definitely a former stripper (Nova, that is) who tells us she is not a stripper (and she probably never was) and who works for Ian Ziering as a bartender with a grudge against sharks and whose real name we find out in the end is "Jenny." [SPOILER ALERT!!!]
- Jaason Simmons gives a gritty performance as Australian but maybe South African pilosomorph Baz Hogan (which I'm sure is some innuendized hybrid of former MMA star Bas Ruten and former WWE star Hulk Hogan, but you've got to keep you eyes open for this kind of subtlety in Sharknado). His character was certainly not named "Quint," nor is it an anagram of "Robert Shaw": Sharknado does not need to rely on "Jaws" references.
There was only ONE reference to "Jaws" -- but I don't want to spoil it. All I will say is maybe it occurs when Jaason Simmons is getting his leg bitten off in that Robert-Shaw-as-Quint-like moment when a shark is climbing up the back of a pickup truck, maybe it's the "We're gonna need a bigger chopper" line, or maybe it was ... oh no you don't: you'll just have to watch for it. Trust me: there's so much that is uniquely notable about this film that you will find it hard even to notice whether it is giving an homage to anything else.
Two more things are exceptionally notable about Sharknado: (1) if I could remember it, the theme song; and (2) the fact that EVERYBODY who appeared in the film -- including extras -- is named in the credits; the film makers made sure that no one will ever forget that each was involved in one of the most remarkable films of 2013.
You don't have to buy it. Just download it for free from a torrent site when you get a chance. You can thank me later. And, sadly, the FCC, or SyFy network, or the two production companies will probably not prosecute you for pirating the picture, though that's what intellectual property thieves like you should get: prosecuted! |
Edited by - MguyXXV on 10/13/2013 01:06:16 |
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BaftaBaby 
"Always entranced by cinema."
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Posted - 10/12/2013 : 10:03:30
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Sean 
"Necrosphenisciform anthropophagist."
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Posted - 10/12/2013 : 10:32:43
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MguyXXV
"X marks the spot"
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Posted - 10/12/2013 : 22:18:43
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Ok, so I added some links to keep it more focused.  |
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Sean
"Necrosphenisciform anthropophagist."
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Posted - 10/13/2013 : 05:08:08
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| I just added it to the netflix (NZ equivalent) queue and bumped it to the top. So will likely watch on Tuesday. Legally. Download / torrent / piracy... Gaaaahhh!! |
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benj clews 
"...."
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Posted - 10/14/2013 : 15:01:54
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You forgot to mention it's also based on a true story. Only the names, laws of physics and anything approaching sane reasoning were changed. |
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MguyXXV
"X marks the spot"
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Posted - 10/14/2013 : 18:45:35
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quote:
Originally posted by benj clews
You forgot to mention it's also based on a true story. Only the names, laws of physics and anything approaching sane reasoning were changed.
My bad.  |
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randall
"I like to watch."
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Posted - 10/14/2013 : 23:52:31
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| I just read that new oral-history book on Roger Corman's career and have Netflicked 6-7 key flicks from the day [TNT JACKSON: mmmwaah!], but I have never had the pleasure of one of those SyFy throwdowns, the joke that everybody gets. Now, aficionadi: is SHARKNADO the very best? Cuz I only have to see *one* to "get" them *all*. So, X: are you saying this is the ne plus ultra of stoopid SyFy flix? |
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MguyXXV
"X marks the spot"
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Posted - 10/15/2013 : 01:25:12
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�Mais non in Spanish! This one is unique:
There is some acting here, and little of the tongue-in-cheek vibe that tends to take over the set when people know they are working on a goofy project.
Well, there's some.
But overall, I think the director was able to get something special from some of these people on something that will benefit them absolutely zero percent. |
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Sean
"Necrosphenisciform anthropophagist."
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Posted - 10/18/2013 : 11:37:19
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I recall three laughs, one quite a major laugh, so I give this....
3/10 |
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MguyXXV
"X marks the spot"
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Posted - 10/20/2013 : 17:03:24
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quote:
Originally posted by Sean
I recall three laughs, one quite a major laugh, so I give this....
3/10
Exactly!
Did you laugh at the bit with John Heard and the chair? How many Jaws references did you count? I'm tellin ya: that one big laugh was worth it! This film definitely deserves your 3 out of 10, it worked HARD to get those 3, and it earned them. The director should be proud that it got more than 2 from you and should probably include your review on the DVD liner.  |
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Sean
"Necrosphenisciform anthropophagist."
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Posted - 10/22/2013 : 11:56:21
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quote:
Originally posted by MguyX
quote:
Originally posted by Sean
I recall three laughs, one quite a major laugh, so I give this....
3/10
Exactly!
Did you laugh at the bit with John Heard and the chair? How many Jaws references did you count? I'm tellin ya: that one big laugh was worth it! This film definitely deserves your 3 out of 10, it worked HARD to get those 3, and it earned them. The director should be proud that it got more than 2 from you and should probably include your review on the DVD liner.
The chair bit got a chuckle, not really a laugh. I picked up only two Jaws references, although that may be because I've only seen Jaws once and that was a long time ago.
SPOILERS!!! 
I recall two of the laughs now - it's been four days - perhaps I should up the score to 4/10 (two points per recalled laugh) given I've actually remembered them that long? One was the bombing of the tornadoes (yep, they blew up tornadoes - give the guy who wrote that one a medal). The other was the "Ok, I've chainsawed my way out of a shark, but haven't I forgotten something?... Oh that's right, the other person inside the shark" scene. Perhaps I should have seen that coming, but I guess I wasn't paying attention, as I failed to notice that the shark he dived into with running chainsaw was the same one that had eaten another character some time earlier during the aforementioned stop-the-tornadoes-by-throwing-bombs-into-them scene.
If I did up the score to 4 then I'd have to remove a point for the fortunately-quite-short "let's get serious about human relationships" scenes.
Nah, I'll stick with 3. 
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Edited by - Sean on 10/22/2013 12:00:55 |
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Cheese_Ed 
"The Provolone Ranger"
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Posted - 11/06/2013 : 12:38:25
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Great news - this gem is now streaming on Netflix.
There go my evening plans! |
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randall
"I like to watch."
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Posted - 11/19/2013 : 23:55:40
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X, I couldn't watch the whole thing. I think I'm not the SyFy [HATE that fucking name!] fan I might once have been. I GOT IT WITHIN :15 [actually, within :05!], caught my obligatory glimpse of John Heard, then cut all video off in favor of some nice Lou Reed. Rather hear METAL MACHINE MUSIC than take this one all the way to FIN.
However, your analysis which opens this thread is OFF THE HOOK: you are a very humorous individual. |
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MguyXXV
"X marks the spot"
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Posted - 11/21/2013 : 22:18:45
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quote:
Originally posted by benj clews
You forgot to mention it's also based on a true story. Only the names, laws of physics and anything approaching sane reasoning were changed.
True dat.  quote:
Originally posted by randa14
X, I couldn't watch the whole thing. I think I'm not the SyFy [HATE that fucking name!] fan I might once have been. I GOT IT WITHIN :15 [actually, within :05!], caught my obligatory glimpse of John Heard, then cut all video off in favor of some nice Lou Reed. Rather hear METAL MACHINE MUSIC than take this one all the way to FIN.
Quite understandable, and commendable. quote:
However, your analysis which opens this thread is OFF THE HOOK: you are a very humorous individual.
Thank you! I am submitting my review as my entrance essay to the Acme School of Screenywritestuff, run by the illustrious W.E. Kaiohtee, S.G. |
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Sean
"Necrosphenisciform anthropophagist."
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Sharknado (2013)
